Dec 12, 2024 By Stephanie Kalina-Metzger 4 min read

Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

Firefly jars at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh show how the unique bugs communicate.

Today’s children often wonder what adults did to occupy themselves before the internet.

Answers such as reading, hiking and jumping rope readily come to mind, but another activity that may have been long forgotten is the joy of catching fireflies. The winged creatures, also known as lightning bugs, were a summer highlight for many enthusiastic youngsters, who, armed with mayonnaise jars secured with crudely punctured lids, snatched them from the air, one by one. Once caught, the blinking bugs were carefully stowed in the ready jar until it grew bright enough to light up even the darkest night.

The ritual was a rite of passage for those of a certain age and is the subject of an art installation at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. The work, titled Spontaneous Order: The Rhythm of Fireflies, will be on view until Jan. 5, 2025.

A Learning Experience

Anne Fullenkamp, senior director of creative experiences, said that the installation is educational and likely to spark a dialogue between children and adults. Created by Sally Weber and Craig Newswanger of Resonance Studio in Oakland, California, it is comprised of 200 firefly jars and demonstrates how the unique bugs communicate.

“As they talk to each other, they start synchronizing,” Fullenkamp said, adding that the jars contain LED lights programmed to simulate communication patterns.

To enhance the experience, the museum has added play campsites to the mix.

“We also laid gym mats on the floor so visitors can lay on the ground and look up,” said Fullenkamp, adding that a custom soundscape titled, “Nocturne” layers in the sounds of summer insects and amplifies the rhythm of the fireflies.

And, if you are an adult who remembers when the little bugs were ubiquitous during hot summer nights, you’d be correct in wondering what happened to them.

“The firefly population has declined,” said Fullenkamp, adding that there are many reasons that this is happening, from light pollution, to habitat loss, pesticides and decreased biodiversity, to name a few.

“We’re bringing awareness to the issue,” Fullenkamp said.

Fullenkamp said that Western Pennsylvania has certain pockets of fireflies, who find each other due to bioluminescence, but that the installation is more focused on the art experience.

“The exhibit is for all ages, but especially for those who are eight and under as we focus on social and emotional learning and experiential play,” she said.

Inspiration for the Installation

Newswanger and Weber said that the idea came about through a book they had read titled, Snyc, The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order, by Steven Strogatz. “It goes into depth about patterns when it comes to complex behavior in a group, like birds in formation, called murmuration. The fireflies sync up with one another by gradually adjusting to the speed of their neighbors’ lights. This is our effort to reproduce their behavior in a gallery setting,” said Newswanger.

Weber explains that each simulated firefly acts independently, that is, until they “see” their neighbors, then they switch color from amber to blue if synced. “There was a gradual blending of colors, which was unanticipated,” said Weber.

Both artists are hoping that their work will bring attention to fireflies, their behaviors, their habitats and ways in which the public can help them flourish.

“We took them for granted when we were growing up, but since they are now declining in number, we’re hoping to bring about public awareness through this installation so that people can learn what they can do to make positive changes,” said Fullenkamp.

To learn more about this exhibit and more, visit the children’s museum of Pittsburgh’s website visit Pittsburghkids.org